Methods and systems of providing a supplemental experience based on concurrently viewed content

ABSTRACT

A method and a system to provide a supplemental experience based on concurrently viewed content is provided. The system comprises an identification module to identify, at a user device, concurrently viewed content assigned a content identifier via communication with one or more components of a home theatre. The system further comprises a curation module to identify one or more listings describing items for sale based on keywords mapped to the content identifier and provide a user interface including the listings to the user device.

This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/447,962, filed Mar. 1, 2011 and entitled “SHOPPINGEXPERIENCE BASED ON CONCONCURRENTLY VIEWED CONTENT,” which isincorporated herein by reference.

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever. The following notice applies to the software and dataas described below and in the drawings that form a part of thisdocument: Copyright eBay, Inc. 2011, 2012, All Rights Reserved.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates generally to the technical field of datamanagement and communication and, in one specific example, to methodsand systems of providing a supplemental experience based onconconcurrently viewed content.

BACKGROUND

People view broadcast content using television sets or other displaydevices. The broadcast content includes television shows, televisedevents, and other content. In some instances, a set-top box connected toa television set may provide additional information about the broadcastcontent, including a schedule of the broadcast content on varioustelevision channels. The set-top box may provide a description aboutbroadcast content concurrently being viewed by the user or broadcastcontent that is included in the schedule of broadcast content.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation inthe figures of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary environment in which various embodiments maybe implemented.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example system, according to variousembodiments.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example method, according tovarious embodiments.

FIG. 4 depicts an example portion of a display displayed by a televisionset depicting an example message indicating that a supplementalexperience is available to the viewer.

FIG. 5 depicts an example portion of a user interface provided by a userdevice that notifies the user that a supplemental experience isavailable,

FIG. 6 depicts an example portion of a user interface provided by a userdevice that includes a schedule of broadcast content and an option tobegin a supplemental experience.

FIG. 7 depicts an example portion of a user interface provided by a userdevice that includes an example supplemental experience based onpredetermined keywords associated with particular broadcast content.

FIG. 8 depicts an example portion of a user interface provided by a userdevice that includes an example supplemental experience based onreal-time media content about the broadcast content.

FIG. 9 depicts an example portion of a user interface provided by a userdevice that includes an example supplemental experience to purchase anitem for sale in an online marketplace.

FIG. 10 depicts an example portion of a user interface provided by auser device that includes an example supplemental experience based onshow meta-data and social aggregation data.

FIG. 11 depicts an example portion of a user interface provided by auser device that includes an example supplemental experience indicatingadditional information about a selected item for sale.

FIG. 12 depicts an example portion of a user interface provided by auser device that includes an example supplemental experience to completea transaction for the selected item for sale.

FIG. 13 is a network diagram depicting a client-server system, withinwhich one example embodiment may be deployed

FIG. 14 is a diagrammatic representation of machine in the example formof a computer system within which a set of instructions, for causing themachine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussedherein, may be executed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example methods and systems to provide a supplemental experience basedon conconcurrently viewed content are described. In the followingdescription, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details areset forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of exampleembodiments. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art thatthe present invention may be practiced without these specific details,

While a user is watching television, the user may be bored, looking tomulti-task, or desire more information about the show. The user may notwant to interrupt the television programming by navigating to a menu onthe television. Instead, the user may have a second user device that iscapable of identifying the televised content concurrently viewed by theuser.

Upon identifying the content viewed by the user, the user may use thesecond device to browse a curated collection of items for sale that arerelated to the concurrently viewed content. In some instances, the usermay navigate to view real-time media associated with the concurrentlyviewed content. In further instances, show metadata may be used toidentify other content of interest such as items for sale and localorganizations.

In instances where the supplemental experience includes a shoppingexperience, the user may search for and purchase items using the userdevice while watching television.

Accordingly, one or more of the methodologies discussed herein mayobviate a need for computationally intensive queries, which may have thetechnical effect of reducing computing resources used by one or moredevices within the system. Examples of such computing resources include,without limitation, processor cycles, network traffic, memory usage,storage space, and power consumption.

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary environment 100 in which various embodimentsmay be implemented. The environment includes one or more televisedcontent providers 102 such as broadcasters, cable providers, fiber opticproviders, satellite TV providers, and other content providers asdiscussed below. The content providers may communicate directly orindirectly with a home theatre 106. The home theatre 106 may include atelevision set and a content delivery device such as a set-top box, adigital video recorder (DVR), a game console, or other devices used todeliver content to a television set. Some content providers 102 maycommunicate over a dedicated network (e.g., a cable network) or via theInternet using a network 110.

An online marketplace 104 communicates via the network 110 to provide ashopping experience to one or more users. One example of an onlinemarketplace 104 is eBay.com provided by eBay, Inc. of San Jose, Calif.

A user is associated with a primary and a secondary device. A primarydevice may be a television or a screen within the home theatre 106 thatdisplays content provided by the content provider 102. The televisionmay communicate with the content provider 102 via a set-top box includedin the home theatre 106. The set-top box may additionally be configuredto communicate via the network 110, such as a local wi-fi network.

The user is further associated with a secondary device, such as a userdevice 108. The user device 108 may include a mobile device, tabletdevice, laptop computer, or desktop computer. The secondary device maybe configured to communicate with the online marketplace 104 and thecontent provider 102 via the network 110 using a combination of theInternet, local wi-fi network, and the set-top box. In some instances,the user device may execute a client 112 to access the onlinemarketplace 104,

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example supplemental experience system200, according to various embodiments. The supplemental experiencesystem 200 may be hosted by the online marketplace 104 or by anotherentity. In some instances, portions of the supplemental experiencesystem 200 may be hosted at the user device 108 and accessed via theclient 112.

An identification module 200 is configured to identify concurrentlyviewed content at the home theatre 106. In some instances, the client112 of the user device 108 obtains information about what the consumeris viewing from the content provider 110. The content provider mayexpose user information using various methods, but essentially, theclient 112 installed on the user device 108 identifies what the user isconcurrently watching (whether live or from DVR), which programs theuser has recorded, and offer a remote control mechanism that interactswith various components of the home theatre 106. Some examples of thecommunication mechanism between the user device 108, the contentprovider 102, and the home theatre 106 include an application that isexecuted by a set-top box in the home theatre 106. This application maycommunicate with the user device 108 via the network 110. Anothercommunication mechanism includes satellite receiver included in the hometheatre 106 that has a built-in web api control interface that the userdevice 108 can invoke via the network 110 to enable the user device 108to send commands to the satellite receiver.

Upon successful identification of concurrently viewed content, acuration module 204 is configured to identify one or more items forsale. The curation module 204 may gather data about the concurrentlyviewed content from a television listing service, such as the TribuneMedia Service (TMS).

In other instances, the curation module 204 may access one or morecurated collections stored in connection with an identifier of theconcurrently viewed content. The curated collections may be curatedbased on one or more keywords or categories associated with theconcurrently viewed content. Various keywords or categories mapped tocontent may be stored in a curation database 206 according to a contentidentifier. A plurality of televised content items may be mapped to oneor more categories or sets of categories. For example, a sports gameviewed by a user may be mapped in the curation database 206 to productcategories such as sporting equipment, tickets, memorabilia, and itemsselected by a celebrity player.

The curation module 204, upon identifying categories or keywords, maysubmit those categories or keywords to the online marketplace 104. Inresponse, the online marketplace 104 may provide access to listingsdescribing items for sale corresponding to the keywords or categories.The listings, or portions thereof, may be presented to the user via theclient 112 of the user device 108,

In some embodiments, when concurrently viewed content is a live event orrelated a live event, the curation module 204 may allow a user toconnect to a marketplace specializing in facilitating transactions fortickets to future live events. The curation module 204 may allow a user,using the user device 108, to select a future event, select a number oftickets or seat numbers, and purchase one or more tickets to the event.

A real-time media module 208 is configured to access real-time mediasuch as blog posts, status messages, chat room conversations,microblogs, and other updates relating to the concurrently viewedcontent. The related content may be identified based on a website orchat room provided in connection with the content, a hashtag or otheridentifier included in the real-time media, or the like.

The real-time media module 208 may further identify keywords or productnames mentioned in the real-time media that identify products or itemsavailable for sale in the online marketplace 104. In response, theonline marketplace 104 may provide access to listings describing itemsfor sale corresponding to the keywords or product names. The listings,or portions thereof, may be presented to the user via the client 112 ofthe user device 108.

A show metadata module 210 may access metadata about a show provided byone or more sources including, for example, the content provider 102.The metadata may include show updates, clips related to the show,descriptions of items appearing in the show, and other information.Based on the metadata, the online marketplace 104 may provide access tolistings describing items for sale corresponding to the keywords orproduct names. The listings, or portions thereof, may be presented tothe user via the client 112 of the user device 108.

In some instances, the metadata may be collected using one or more imagerecognition technologies or audio recognition technologies toautomatically identify items or people appearing in the show. The imagerecognition technology may identify a main character or an item in aparticular scene. For example, screen scraping technologies may be usedto isolate an item, such as a timepiece appearing in a scene. The timepiece may be identified using, for example, image recognition orcharacter recognition. Audio recognition or closed captioningtechnologies may also be used to identify keywords associated withproducts related to the televised content. In some instances, datacollected by the real-time media module 208 may be used to tag items ofinterest as candidates for recognition. For example, if a number ofreal-time media outlets comment on a timepiece worn by a character, thecharacter and the timepiece may be scraped from a scene to identify thetimepiece by designer, model, or other identifier. The identification ofthe timepiece may then be submitted to the online marketplace 104 as aquery to return listings describing the timepiece or similar timepieces.

A social aggregation module 212 is configured to, based on the keywords,categories, and metadata, identify real-world activities that may be ofinterest to the viewer, The social aggregation module 212 may identify ageographic location of the viewer. Based on the concurrently viewedcontent and the location of the user, one or more activities may beidentified that are of interest to the user. For example, if the vieweris viewing a show about cars, the social aggregation module 212 mayidentify a local car enthusiast club, local classifieds describing cars,local businesses related to cars, upcoming car-related events, and thelike.

A transaction module 214 is configured to facilitate transactionprocessing for items selected by the user using the supplementalexperience system 200. The transaction module 214 may manage a shoppingcart associated with the user and receive or access shipping and paymentinformation of the user. In instances where multiple purchasing optionsare available to the user, such as ticket sales where a user may selecta seats corresponding to the purchased tickets.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example method 300, according tovarious embodiments. The method 300 may performed by the supplementalexperience system 200. It is noted that only a subset of the operationsincluded in the method 300 may be performed in some instances.

In an operation 302, concurrently viewed content is identified based ona functionality exposed by a component of the home theatre 106. Forexample, a wi-fi-enabled cable set-top box may wirelessly transmit anidentification of concurrently viewed content to the user device 108. Insome embodiments, the identification of the concurrently viewed contentmay be provided by a user of the user device 108 by selecting a contentidentifier via a menu or schedule of televised content. In someinstances, the user, using user device 108 may select or identifytelevised content that the user is not concurrently viewing.

In an operation 304, a curated shopping interface is provided based onthe identified televised content. The curated shopping interface mayinclude descriptions of categories of items for sale or descriptions ofitems for sale that are related to the televised content. Thedetermination that the category or item is related may be based onkeywords or categories mapped to a content identifier in the curationdatabase 206. In some instances, the curation module 204 is configuredto provide the curated shopping interface.

In an operation 306, real-time media relating to the identified contentis determined. The real-time media may be determined based on a locationwhere the media was published (e.g., a website dedicated to theidentified content), keywords included in the real-time media, oridentifiers of the content included in the media such as links orhashtags. The real-time media module 208 may generate a user interfaceincluding at least a portion of the real-time media or links to thereal-time media.

The real-time media may be scraped or searched to identify keywords orcategories of items relevant to the identified content. Based on thekeywords or categories, one or more listings describing items for salemay be retreived by the online marketplace 104. In some instances, theuser interface generated by the real-time media module 208 may furtherinclude links to or portions of the one or more listings.

In an operation 308, show metadata is collected and analyzed to retrievelistings from the online marketplace 104 based on the content. The showmetadata may include information about the televised content, aboutevents occurring within the televised content, or information tagged orscraped from the show. For example, information about the show mayinclude the names of actors, players, contestants, or other peopleassociated with the televised content. Other information may include agenre, character names, a time period, a title, a short description, orthe like. Events occurring within the televised content may include aplot summary, a score board, a leader board, a description of one ormore scenes, live feeds, or the like. For example, a live feed mayinclude real-time data that identifies a player who scored in a game ora nominee who won an award. Information tagged or scrapped from thetelevised broadcast may also be included in the metadata, either as animage or as a description of an item in an image.

Based on keywords or other information included in the metadata,listings describing items for sale are retrieved via the onlinemarketplace 104. The listings may be provided to the user via the client112 of the user device 108 in a user interface generated by the showmetadata module 210.

In an operation 310, a social aggregation module 212 may retrieveinformation about real-world activities based on the content viewed bythe user. The real-world activities may be identified according to oneor more of the keywords or categories identified by in operations 304,306, or 308. The real-world activities may be retrieved via localorganizations, local advertisers, and other sources of localinformation. The social aggregation module 212 may further provide auser interface to present the real-world activities to the user. In someinstances, the user may sign up, set up appointments, or purchasetickets to real-world activities via the social aggregation module 312.

In an operation 312, one or more transactions are facilitated by thetransaction module 214 based on the listings retrieved in operations304, 306, or 308. The operation 312 may further include facilitatingtransactions based on the real-world activities of operation 310.Facilitating transactions may include retrieving a shopping cartidentifying items to be purchased, collecting or accessing userinformation, and processing the transaction within the onlinemarketplace 104.

FIG. 4 depicts an example portion of a display displayed by a televisionset within a home theatre 106 depicting an example message 402indicating that a supplemental experience is available to the viewer.The message 402 may appear within the display of the home theatre 106(e.g., a television) and inform a viewer that items in connection withthe content being shown are available for purchase through a web-enabledapplication. The message 402 may persist for a predefined period of timeon the television. In some instances, the message 402 may be displayedafter the concurrently viewed content is identified. If a viewer changesthe channel being watched on the television, the message 402 may beupdated to reflect the changed channel. In some instances, the message402 includes an identifier, such as a logo, of the concurrently viewedcontent.

FIG. 5 depicts an example portion of a user interface provided by a userdevice 108 that notifies the user that a supplemental experience isavailable. The user interface may include a notification 500 thatmomentarily appears on the user device 108. The notification 500 mayidentify the concurrently viewed content and provide the use with anoption to begin a supplemental experience, such as a shoppingexperience. In other instances, the notification 500 may indicate that asupplemental experience is available.

FIG. 6 depicts an example portion of a user interface 600 provided by auser device 108 that includes a schedule of broadcast content and anoption to begin a supplemental experience. If the user decides to beginthe supplemental experience, the client 112 may generate or retrieve aninterface such as interface 600. The interface 600 may includeinformation 602 about televised content on a portion of the channelsavailable to the user. As shown, the information 602 may be generatedaccording to broadcast schedules and a channel listing. In someembodiments, the information 602 may be generated based on a queue ofrecorded or on-demand shows associated with the user.

In some instances, the user, using a cursor control 604 (such as atouchscreen) may select a description of specific content included ininformation 600. In response to the selection, the user may navigate toa supplemental experience generated based on the specific content. Insome instances, the selection of the specific content may further causethe user device 108 to communicate the selection to the set-top box inthe home theatre 106 and cause the set-top box to display the selectedcontent on the television in the home theatre 106.

The interface 600 may further include supplemental experience portion606 that provides content about the concurrently viewed content or aboutthe content selected by the user. As depicted, the portion 606 includeslinks to categories of items for sale related to the “sports game”content selected by the user using cursor control 604 and accessed bythe curation module 204. The portion 606 may be generated based oninformation accessed by the curation module 204, the real-time mediamodule 208, the show metadata module 210, the social aggregation module212, or some combination thereof.

FIG. 7 depicts an example portion of a user interface 700 provided by auser device 108 that includes an example supplemental experience. Thesupplemental experience is generated based on pre-determined keywordsaccessed by the curation module 204 and mapped to particular broadcastcontent in the curation database in a portion 704. As depicted in aportion 702, the content is identified and may include show metadata(e.g., a current score and time during a sports game) retrieved by theshow metadata module 210.

The portion 704 includes one or more tabs each corresponding to acategory associated with the content. For example, a category labelled“equipment” may include sub-categories or listings describing items forsale such as “helmet”, “racket”, “uniform”, “ball”, “shoes”, and“protective gear.” Upon selecting one of the links, the user maynavigate to a more detailed listing and/or an interface including anoption to purchase the item from one or more sellers in the onlinemarketplace 104. Another category selectable by the user may include“tickets” where the user is guided through a series of interfaces thatallow a user to select an upcoming game and seats within a stadium wherethe game is played. A category “memorabilia” may allow a user to enter aquery for memorabilia related to the sports game and display resultsfrom the online marketplace 104 of listings describing memorabilia forsale. A category labelled “player corner” may allow a user to select abiography player of the game and view a collection of items for saleselected by the player.

FIG. 8 depicts an example portion of a user interface 800 provided by auser device 108 that includes an example supplemental experience basedon real-time media content about the broadcast content provided by thereal-time media module 210. The user interface 800 may include a contentidentification 802, a real-time media interface 804, and a shoppinginterface 806.

The real-time media interface 804 may include a depiction real-timemedia that is collected concurrently with the broadcasting of the showor after the show has aired. The real-time media may include forexample, a micro-blog feed, a social network feed, comments posted byviewers about the content, or the like. Based on the real-time media,one or more items for sale may be identified as being potentiallyrelevant to viewers of the content by the real-time media module 208.Descriptions of the items for sale or listings describing the items forsale may be includes in the shopping interface 806. In otherembodiments, categories or items identified by the curation module 204may be depicted in the shopping interface 806.

FIG. 9 depicts an example portion of a user interface 900 provided by auser device 108 that includes an example supplemental experience topurchase an item for sale in an online marketplace 104. The userinterface 900 may include an item description 902, a list 904 of sellersoffer the item for sale in the online marketplace 104, and descriptions906 of items related to the item described by item description 902. Thedescriptions 906 may be retrieved from the online marketplace 906.

FIG. 10 depicts an example portion of a user interface 1000 provided bya user device 108 that includes an example supplemental experience basedon show meta-data and social aggregation data. The user interface 1000may include an identification of the content 1002. The interface 1000may include a content identifier 1002, show metadata 1004, listings 1006retrieved from the online marketplace 104 based on the show metadata,and a link 1008 to real-world activities related to the content.

Show metadata 1004 may include a status of the content, a description ofa scene in the content, a score hoard, a leader board, or other metadataabout the content. In some instances, the show metadata may besupplemented with real-time media in the interface 1000. The listings1006 may be accessed from the online marketplace 104 based on keywordsor categories identified by the curation module 204, the real-time mediamodule 208, or the show metadata module 210.

The link 1008 may, upon being selected, cause the user to navigate toanother interface that displays descriptions of real-world activitiesthat are within the same geographic area as the user. The activities mayinclude clubs, meet-ups, organizations, volunteer programs, localbusinesses, local classifieds, or the like.

FIG. 11 depicts an example portion of a user interface 1100 provided bya user device 108 that includes an example supplemental experienceindicating additional information about a selected item for sale, Theinterface 1100 includes an option to purchase the item for sale usingthe transaction module 214.

FIG. 12 depicts an example portion of a user interface 1200 provided bya user device 108 that includes an example supplemental experience tocomplete a transaction for the selected item for sale. The userinterface 1200 may include an indication that describes items for salethat the user has placed in a shopping cart and may request informationfrom the user that is used to complete the purchased. In some instances,the user may login to the online marketplace 104 and confirm storedinformation to complete the transaction.

FIG. 13 is a network diagram depicting a client-server system 1300,within which one example embodiment may be deployed. A networked system1302, in the example forms of a network-based marketplace or publicationsystem, provides server-side functionality, via a network 1304 (e.g.,the Internet or Wide Area Network (WAN)) to one or more clients. FIG. 13illustrates, for example, a web client 1306 (e.g., a browser), and aprogrammatic client 1308 executing on respective client machines 1310and 1312.

An Application Program Interface (API) server 1314 and a web server 1316are coupled to, and provide programmatic and web interfaces respectivelyto, one or more application servers 1318. The application servers 1318host one or more marketplace applications 1320 and payment applications1322. The application servers 1318 are, in turn, shown to be coupled toone or more databases servers 1324 that facilitate access to one or moredatabases 1326. In some instances, a software development kit (SDK) maybe provided to integrate the supplemental experience system 200 intothird party applications.

The marketplace applications 1320 may provide a number of marketplacefunctions and services to users that access the networked system 1302The payment applications 1322 may likewise provide a number of paymentservices and functions to users. The payment applications 1322 may allowusers to accumulate value (e.g., in a commercial currency, such as theU.S. dollar, or a proprietary currency, such as “points”) in accounts,and then later to redeem the accumulated value for products (e.g., goodsor services) that are made available via the marketplace applications1320. While the marketplace and payment applications 1320 and 1322 areshown in FIG. 13 to both form part of the networked system 1302, it willbe appreciated that, in alternative embodiments, the paymentapplications 1322 may form part of a payment service that is separateand distinct from the networked system 1302.

Further, while the system 1300 shown in FIG. 13 employs a client-serverarchitecture, the present invention is of course not limited to such anarchitecture, and could equally well find application in a distributed,or peer-to-peer, architecture system, for example. The variousmarketplace and payment applications 1320 and 1322 could also beimplemented as standalone software programs, which do not necessarilyhave networking capabilities.

The web client 1306 accesses the various marketplace and paymentapplications 1320 and 1322 via the web interface supported by the webserver 1316. Similarly, the programmatic client 1308 accesses thevarious services and functions provided by the marketplace and paymentapplications 1320 and 1322 via the programmatic interface provided bythe API server 1314. The programmatic client 1308 may, for example, be aseller application (e.g., the TurboLister application developed by eBayInc., of San Jose, Calif.) to enable sellers to author and managelistings on the networked system 1302 in an off-line manner, and toperform batch-mode communications between the programmatic client 1308and the networked system 1302.

FIG. 13 also illustrates a third party application 1328, executing on athird party server machine 1330, as having programmatic access to thenetworked system 1302 via the programmatic interface provided by the APIserver 1314. For example, the third party application 1328 may,utilizing information retrieved from the networked system 1302, supportone or more features or functions on a website hosted by the thirdparty. The third party website may, for example, provide one or morepromotional, marketplace or payment functions that are supported by therelevant applications of the networked system 1302.

Modules, Components and Logic

Certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a numberof components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules may constitute eithersoftware modules (e.g., code embodied (1) on a non-transitorymachine-readable medium or (2) in a transmission signal) orhardware-implemented modules. A hardware-implemented module is tangibleunit capable of performing certain operations and may be configured orarranged in a certain manner. In example embodiments, one or morecomputer systems (e.g., a standalone, client or server computer system)or one or more processors may be configured by software (e.g., anapplication or application portion) as a hardware-implemented modulethat operates to perform certain operations as described herein.

In various embodiments, a hardware-implemented module may be implementedmechanically or electronically. For example, a hardware-implementedmodule may comprise dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanentlyconfigured (e.g., as a special-purpose processor, such as a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific integratedcircuit (ASIC)) to perform certain operations. A hardware-implementedmodule may also comprise programmable logic or circuitry (e.g., asencompassed within a general-purpose processor or other programmableprocessor) that is temporarily configured by software to perform certainoperations. It will be appreciated that the decision to implement ahardware-implemented module mechanically, in dedicated and permanentlyconfigured circuitry, or in temporarily configured circuitry (e.g.,configured by software) may be driven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the term “hardware-implemented module” should be understoodto encompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physicallyconstructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired) or temporarily ortransitorily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certainmanner and/or to perform certain operations described herein.Considering embodiments in which hardware-implemented modules aretemporarily configured (e.g., programmed), each of thehardware-implemented modules need not be configured or instantiated atany one instance in time. For example, where the hardware-implementedmodules comprise a general-purpose processor configured using software,the general-purpose processor may be configured as respective differenthardware-implemented modules at different times. Software mayaccordingly configure a processor, for example, to constitute aparticular hardware-implemented module at one instance of time and toconstitute a different hardware-implemented module at a differentinstance of time.

Hardware-implemented modules can provide information to, and receiveinformation from, other hardware-implemented modules. Accordingly, thedescribed hardware-implemented modules may be regarded as beingcommunicatively coupled. Where multiple of such hardware-implementedmodules exist contemporaneously, communications may be achieved throughsignal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuits and buses) thatconnect the hardware-implemented modules. In embodiments in whichmultiple hardware-implemented modules are configured or instantiated atdifferent times, communications between such hardware-implementedmodules may be achieved, for example, through the storage and retrievalof information in memory structures to which the multiplehardware-implemented modules have access. For example, onehardware-implemented module may perform an operation, and store theoutput of that operation in a memory device to which it iscommunicatively coupled. A further hardware-implemented module may then,at a later time, access the memory device to retrieve and process thestored output. Hardware-implemented modules may also initiatecommunications with input or output devices, and can operate on aresource (e.g., a collection of information).

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modulesthat operate to perform one or more operations or functions. The modulesreferred to herein may, in some example embodiments, compriseprocessor-implemented modules.

Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partiallyprocessor-implemented. For example, at least some of the operations of amethod may be performed by one or processors or processor-implementedmodules. The performance of certain of the operations may be distributedamong the one or more processors, not only residing within a singlemachine, but deployed across a number of machines. In some exampleembodiments, the processor or processors may be located in a singlelocation (e.g., within a home environment, an office environment or as aserver farm), while in other embodiments the processors may bedistributed across a number of locations.

The one or more processors may also operate to support performance ofthe relevant operations in a “cloud computing” environment or as a“software as a service” (SaaS). For example, at least some of theoperations may be performed by a group of computers (as examples ofmachines including processors), these operations being accessible via anetwork (e.g., the Internet) and via one or more appropriate interfaces(e.g., Application Program Interfaces (APIs).)

Electronic Apparatus and System

Example embodiments may be implemented in digital electronic circuitry,or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations of them.Example embodiments may be implemented using a computer program product,e.g., a computer program tangibly embodied in an information carrier,e.g., in a machine-readable medium for execution by, or to control theoperation of, data processing apparatus, e.g., a programmable processor,a computer, or multiple computers.

A computer program can be written in any form of programming language,including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed inany form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, subroutine,or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computerprogram can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiplecomputers at one site or distributed across multiple sites andinterconnected by a communication network.

In example embodiments, operations may be performed by one or moreprogrammable processors executing a computer program to performfunctions by operating on input data and generating output. Methodoperations can also be performed by, and apparatus of exampleembodiments may be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry,e.g., a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC).

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other. Inembodiments deploying a programmable computing system, it will beappreciated that that both hardware and software architectures requireconsideration. Specifically, it will be appreciated that the choice ofwhether to implement certain functionality in permanently configuredhardware (e.g., an ASIC), in temporarily configured hardware (e.g., acombination of software and a programmable processor), or a combinationof permanently and temporarily configured hardware may be a designChoice, Below are set out hardware (e.g., machine) and softwarearchitectures that may be deployed, in various example embodiments.

Example Machine Architecture and Machine-Readable Medium

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of machine in the example form of a computersystem 1400 within which instructions, for causing the machine toperform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, may beexecuted. In alternative embodiments, the machine operates as astandalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to othermachines. In a networked deployment, the machine may operate in thecapacity of a server or a client machine in server-client networkenvironment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed)network environment. The machine may be a personal computer (PC), atablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), acellular telephone, a web appliance, a network router, switch or bridge,or any machine capable of executing instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further,while only a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shallalso be taken to include any collection of machines that individually orjointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform anyone or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The example computer system 1400 includes a processor 1402 (e.g., acentral processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU) orboth), a main memory 1404 and a static memory 1406, which communicatewith each other via a bus 1408. The computer system 1400 may furtherinclude a video display unit 1410 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD)or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system 1400 also includes analphanumeric input device 1412 (e.g., a keyboard or a touch-sensitivedisplay screen), a user interface (UI) navigation device 1414 (e.g., amouse), a disk drive unit 1416, a signal generation device 1418 (e.g., aspeaker) and a network interface device 1420.

Machine-Readable Medium

The disk drive unit 1416 includes a machine-readable medium 1422 onwhich is stored one or more sets of instructions and data structures(e.g., software) 1424 embodying or utilized by any one or more of themethodologies or functions described herein. The instructions 1424 mayalso reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory1404 and/or within the processor 1402 during execution thereof by thecomputer system 1400, the main memory 1404 and the processor 1402 alsoconstituting machine-readable media.

While the machine-readable medium 1422 is shown in an example embodimentto be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” may include asingle medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributeddatabase, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one ormore instructions or data structures. The term “machine-readable medium”shall also be taken to include any tangible medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies of the present invention, or that is capable of storing,encoding or carrying data structures utilized by or associated with suchinstructions. The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly betaken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, andoptical and magnetic media. Specific examples of machine-readable mediainclude non-volatile memory, including by way of example semiconductormemory devices, e.g., Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM),Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), and flashmemory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removabledisks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

Transmission Medium

The instructions 1424 may further be transmitted or received over acommunications network 1426 using a transmission medium. Theinstructions 1424 may be transmitted using the network interface device1420 and any one of a. number of well-known transfer protocols (e.g.,HTTP), Examples of communication networks include a local area network(“LAN”), a wide area network (“WAN”), the Internet, mobile telephonenetworks, Plain Old Telephone (POTS) networks, and wireless datanetworks (e.g., WiFi and WiMax networks). The term “transmission medium”shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machine,and includes digital or analog communications signals or otherintangible media to facilitate communication of such software.

Although an embodiment has been described with reference to specificexample embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications andchanges may be made to these embodiments without departing from thebroader spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense. The accompanying drawings that form a parthereof, show by way of illustration, and not of limitation, specificembodiments in which the subject matter may be practiced. Theembodiments illustrated are described in sufficient detail to enablethose skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed herein.Other embodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such thatstructural and logical substitutions and changes may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure. This Detailed Description,therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope ofvarious embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along withthe full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

According to various embodiments, a system may include an identificationmodule to identify, at a user device, concurrently viewed contentassigned a content identifier via communication with one or morecomponents of a home theatre and a curation module to identify one ormore listings describing items for sale based on keywords mapped to thecontent identifier and provide a user interface including the listingsto the user device separate from the home theatre.

A method may include identifying, at a user device, concurrently viewedcontent assigned a content identifier via communication with one or morecomponents of a home theatre; identifying, one or more listingsdescribing items for sale based on keywords mapped to the contentidentifier; and providing a user interface including the listings to theuser device separate from the home theatre.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions embodiedthereon, the instructions executable by one or more processors toperform operations comprising: identifying, at a user device,concurrently viewed content assigned a content identifier viacommunication with one or more components of a home theatre;identifying, using one or more processors, one or more listingsdescribing items for sale based on keywords mapped to the contentidentifier; and providing a user interface including the listings to theuser device separate from the home theatre.

The system may, in further embodiments, comprise one or more of thefollowing characteristics, properties, or modules. In method orcomputer-readable medium embodiments or means-for embodiments, theembodiments may comprise the following characteristics, properties, oroperations as performed by the modules. The identification module may befurther to display a notification on the user device to allow the userto navigate to the user interface. The identification module may befurther to provide a second user interface on the user device indicatinga broadcast schedule. The identification module may be further toprovide a second user interface on the user device indicating contentstored in a queue. The system may further comprise a curation databaseaccessible by the curation module and storing the mapping of thekeywords to the content identifier. The identified listings may beincluded with a category in the online marketplace associated with thecontent identifier. The identified listings may be associated withmultiple merchants offering the described item for sale. A real-timemedia module may access real-time media about the concurrently viewedcontent. The real-time media may be selected from the group consistingof blogs, micro-blogs, chat rooms, message boards, and comments on awebpage. The real-time media module may further identify a keywordwithin the real-time media relating to the concurrently viewed contentand to retrieve additional listings from the online marketplace based onthe identified keyword. The real-time media module may add theadditional listings to the user interface. A show metadata module mayaccess show metadata about the concurrently viewed content. The showmetadata may be selected from the group consisting of a description of aconcurrently viewed scene of the concurrently viewed content, ascoreboard, a leader board, a time on a game clock, an identification ofan item appearing in the concurrently viewed content, and an actor orcharacter in the a concurrently viewed scene of the concurrently viewedcontent. The show metadata module may identify a keyword within the showmetadata relating to the concurrently viewed content and to retrieveadditional listings from the online marketplace based on the identifiedkeyword. The show metadata module may add the additional listings to theuser interface. A social aggregation module may retrieve informationabout real-world activities relating to the concurrently viewed content.The real-world activities may be selected based on the geographiclocation of the user and from the group consisting of: clubs, meet-ups,organizations, volunteer programs, businesses, and classifieds. Atransaction module may facilitate a transaction based on the one or morelistings.

Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred toherein, individually and/or collectively, by the tern “invention” merelyfor convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope ofthis application to any single invention or inventive concept if morethan one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments havebeen illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the above description.

1. A system comprising: an identification module to identify, at a userdevice, concurrently viewed content assigned a content identifier viacommunication with one or more components of a home theatre; a curationmodule to, using one or more processors, identify one or more listingsdescribing items for sale based on keywords mapped to the contentidentifier and provide a user interface including the listings to theuser device separate from the home theatre.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein the identification module is further to display a notificationon the user device to allow the user to navigate to the user interface.3. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification module is furtherto provide a second user interface on the user device indicating abroadcast schedule.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the identificationmodule is further to provide a second user interface on the user deviceindicating content stored in a queue.
 5. The system of claim 1, furthercomprising a curation database accessible by the curation module andstoring the mapping of the keywords to the content identifier.
 6. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the identified listings are included with acategory in the online marketplace associated with the contentidentifier.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the identified listingsare associated with multiple merchants offering the described item forsale.
 8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a real-time mediamodule to access real-time media about the concurrently viewed content.9. The system of claim 8, wherein the real-time media is selected fromthe group consisting of blogs, micro-blogs, chat rooms, message boards,and comments on a webpage.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein thereal-time media module is further to identify a keyword within thereal-time media relating to the concurrently viewed content and toretrieve additional listings from the online marketplace based on theidentified keyword.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the real-timemedia module is to add the additional listings to the user interface.12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a show metadata module toaccess show metadata about the concurrently viewed content.
 13. Thesystem of claim 12, wherein the show metadata is selected from the groupconsisting of a description of a concurrently viewed scene of theconcurrently viewed content, a scoreboard, a leader board, a time on agame clock, an identification of an item appearing in the concurrentlyviewed content, and an actor or character in the a concurrently viewedscene of the concurrently viewed content.
 14. The system of claim 12,wherein the show metadata module is further to identify a keyword withinthe show metadata relating to the concurrently viewed content and toretrieve additional listings from the online marketplace based on theidentified keyword.
 15. The system of claim 12, wherein the showmetadata module is to add the additional listings to the user interface.16. The system of claim 1, further comprising a social aggregationmodule to retrieve information about real-world activities relating tothe concurrently viewed content.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein thereal-world activities are selected based on the geographic location ofthe user and from the group consisting of: clubs, meet-ups,organizations, volunteer programs, businesses, and classifieds.
 18. Thesystem of claim 1, further comprising a transaction module to facilitatea transaction based on the one or more listings.
 19. A methodcomprising: identifying, at a user device, concurrently viewed contentassigned a content identifier via communication with one or morecomponents of a home theatre; identifying, using one or more processors,one or more listings describing items for sale based on keywords mappedto the content identifier; and providing a user interface including thelistings to the user device separate from the home theatre.
 20. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions embodiedthereon, the instructions executable by one or more processors toperform operations comprising: identifying, at a user device,concurrently viewed content assigned a content identifier viacommunication with one or more components of a home theatre;identifying, using one or more processors, one or more listingsdescribing items for sale based on keywords mapped to the contentidentifier; and providing a user interface including the listings to theuser device separate from the home theatre.